


Beautiful, Beloved

by sp00kyjelly_beans



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Hate Sex, Hate to Love, Mutant Reader, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Steve Rogers, Slow Burn, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-24 14:40:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30073788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sp00kyjelly_beans/pseuds/sp00kyjelly_beans
Summary: "The Archangel..." Zola whispered. He stood behind the protective glass, staring down at the girl below. The training chambers were covered in blood. She sat on her bed like a porcelain doll."You are The Archangel..." He whispered once more.---Steve Rogers x Female!OCFollows canon, starting with Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Relationships: Gamora/Peter Quill, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s), Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

A young woman stared through the two-way mirror, watching the torturing unfold. Growing up around the facility, she was used to this scene. But they were far more extensive with this man. He was being pushed harder than the others.

Every mission he came back from was a total success. His success resulted in more pain.

Not that it was any different for her. But the men stopped coming a month after her arrival. Machinery was the perfect way to keep her down.

Arnim Zola, the man in charge of the facility, sanctioned punishments for her. Any step out of line or mission lost resulted in her sitting in The Room.

She shuddered at the thought of it and turned away from the glass. She could see the Winter Soldier later... If he remembered her this time.

She stood idly in her blank canvas of a room. Someone had stopped by and searched for something out of the ordinary. Her neatly made bed indicated no one found anything. Not that there was anything to hide.

She laid down on the twin-sized mattress and raised both of her palms. Holding them two inches apart a black mass formulated. It hovered in the space, growing larger by the second.

The woman kneaded the tips of her fingers into the mass, allowing it to hover above her left palm. She then directed her focus to her other hand, where a glowing light hovered above her right palm. The two balled masses grew in size, almost up to the size of her head when the door slammed open.

The woman launched the glowing mass at the door, barely missing the head of a young HYDRA Agent. He yelped and launched his body backward, the sound of his body hitting the concrete was faint.

He must be new, the woman thought to herself. She rolled her eyes and walked past the trembling man. He called out to the woman but she already knew where to go.

The empty hallways of the facility were mostly quiet. Every so often a faded scream would echo through the steel doors. She didn’t cringe at the sound anymore. After decades of living in the haunting building, she learned not to show sympathy. It was for the greater good of the world. The bad has to exist in order to earn the good, she reminded herself. 

She approached a large steel door where two guards stood like statues. One of them opened the doors to reveal an empty training room. As soon as the door shut, everything went dark.

Like instinct, light emanated from the woman’s hands. She crept slowly, careful to remember any obstacles.

“I know you’re there, soldier…” She whispered.

The pounding sound of footsteps set her straight. Before he could lay a hand on her, the woman readied a long chain in her palm and wrapped it around his body. With a simple yank, he was on the ground, groaning in pain. 

The woman smirked and kneeled to his level, lifting her illuminated hand to his face. The Winter Soldier, as expected. She tsked as she noticed the glowing chain successfully wrapped around his metal arm.

“I’m getting better at this…” She mumbled to herself. 

Without a second beat, The Winter Soldier grabbed the woman with his free arm and threw her to the side. She bounced on the concrete and hit a punching bag, knocking the wind out of her. She coughed slightly and pushed herself to her knees. 

The lights switched on to reveal both of them wiping the dust off of their uniforms. The woman looked amused while the Soldier looked annoyed.

“Weapons aren’t fair, Angel-” The Winter Soldier huffed but the woman lifted her finger.

“You caught me off guard. And don’t call me that,” Her smile dropped to a glare.

“That’s because there is no training today,” Alexander Pierce’s voice sounded. He walked into the training arena with an unreadable expression. “No one turned the lights on.”

The two soldiers shared a look, seemingly scolding each other. 

“The reason I called you here is that you have a mission. Together,” Pierce folded his arms behind his back. Both soldiers waited for more information. “You must take out Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.”


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of music coming from his apartment alarmed Steve Rogers. He didn’t recall leaving his stereo on.

With the window being his best bet, he lifted the frame and crept through his house. The music was deafeningly loud.

Peaking out the corner, there sat a wounded Nick Fury.

“I don’t remember giving you a key,” Steve sighed.

With a grunt, the man sat up. “You really think I need one?” He paused. “My wife kicked me out.”

Steve stayed in place, staring at the man suspiciously.

“I didn’t know you were married.”

“A lot of things you don’t know about me,” Fury nodded.

Steve switched on the light, assuming it was safe. “I know, that’s the problem.” 

His assumptions were apparently wrong, according to Fury’s hard expression. The man switched the light back off and held up a phone that read EARS EVERYWHERE.

Steve looked around the room as his suspicions returned. Fury continued to speak.

“I’m sorry to have to do this but I had no place else to crash.”

The phone read SHIELD COMPROMISED.

“Who else knows about your wife?”

YOU AND ME

“Just… My friends,” Fury stood. 

“Is that what we are?”

“That’s up to you.”

Suddenly, shots rang out. A few hit Fury. Steve ducked down and dragged Fury into the next room, looking around wildly. These next moves were vital, that much was clear.

“Don’t trust anyone…” Fury groaned and handed Steve a USB.

It was too quiet after that. Steve stared down at Fury’s body, seeing that he had passed out. Looking out the window, a glint of metal could be seen at the top of a building. Staggering between the shooter and Fury, Steve grabbed his shield and bolted.

Steve stood in front of the vending machine to see the USB gone. A reflection of Natasha became clear, forcing him to shove her into an empty room behind them.

“Where is it?”

“Safe.”

“Do better.”

“Where did you get it?”

“Why would I tell you?”

It took Natasha two seconds to connect the dots.

“Fury gave it to you… Why?”

“What’s on it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Stop lying!” Steve pressed on.

“I only act like I know everything, Rogers.”

Steve looked around to make sure no one was listening in. Trust no one.

“I bet you knew Fury hired the pirates, didn’t you?”

Natasha hesitated for a moment, “Well, it makes sense. The ship was dirty, Fury needed a way in, so do you.”

Steve pushed her against the wall once more, “I’m not going to ask you again.”

Natasha hesitated once more.

“I know who killed Fury,” Steve looked dumbfounded as she went on. “Most of the intelligence community doesn’t believe they exist. The ones that do call them The Archangel and The Winter Soldier. The Winter soldier is credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last fifty years. The Archangel has twice as many in forty.”

“Sounds like a ghost story,” Steve thought back to the night Fury appeared in his apartment. He could recall only the man, nobody else. 

“Five years ago I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran. Someone blocked my vision and shot out my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff. I pulled us out. But they were both there,” Natasha continued. “I was covering my engineer so The Archangel pierced straight through me.”

Natasha lifted her shirt to reveal a scar. It was reminiscent of a knife wound. 

“Bye-bye, bikinis.”

“Yeah, I bet you look terrible now,” Steve replied sarcastically.

“Going after either of them is a dead end. I know, I’ve tried,” Natasha said. “Very rarely are they together. And like you said, just a ghost story.”

She lifted the USB.

“Let’s find out what they want.”


	3. Chapter 3

Steve, Sam, Natasha, and Sitwell bickered in the car, speeding to Triskelion.

“HYDRA doesn’t like threats,” Sitwell whined.

“Then why don’t you try sticking a cork in it?” Sam snapped, glaring at Sitwell through the rearview mirror.

“Insights launching in sixteen hours,” Natasha butted in. “We’re cutting it a little bit close here.”

“I know,” Steve said. “We’ll use him to bypass DNA scans and access the helicarriers directly.”

“What? Are you crazy?” Sitwell stared at Steve as if he were an idiot. “That is a terrible, terrible idea.”

Before anyone could snapback, a thud was heard from the roof of the car. Sitwell was yanked from his seat through the window, screaming. His body landed on the highway. 

Natasha clambered out of the backseat after her window broke and Sam hit the brakes. A man flung forward yet landed on his feet easily. Natasha and Steve sat in the car dumbfounded, realizing who was kneeled about 30 feet in front of them. 

As The Winter Soldier adjusted himself on the highway, another body landed on the hood of the car, scaring all three of the people inside. To Steve’s surprise, a woman sat kneeled, staring directly at them. A pair of black goggles covered her eyes and a white mask covered up to the bridge of her nose. Her hair was long enough to be pulled into a low ponytail.

Natasha attempted to raise her gun but the woman jumped as a massive car crashed into them. 

The Archangel landed on the other side of the highway, watching the events unfold. As soon as their car flipped, The Archangel took a running start, seemingly faster than the cars on the highway. A black mass that was roughly the size of her formulated five feet ahead. 

She ran through it with ease. Another black portal appeared next to The Winter Soldier and HYDRA agents as they shot at Natasha and Sam. The Archangel walking right through it, appearing next to them. 

The Archangel watched nonchalantly, honing in on Natasha. She watched as she jumped off of the freeway, lifting her hand as The Winter Soldier took a step to follow. 

In her hand formulated a chain longer than the one she summoned the day before. The Winter Soldier gripped onto one end as The Archangel wrapped it around her waist. She took a running start and jumped off of the edge, gripping onto the glowing chain to swing forward. Natasha shot at The Archangel with two guns but each bullet missed. Their bodies collided and the chain disappeared.

The Winter Soldier turned away from the edge of the freeway and gripped onto Sam’s arm, who attempted to stab him. They stood like that for a moment, until the man launched a fist into Sam’s abdomen. Sam dropped to his knees and The Winter Soldier lifted a gun. Before he could take the shot, Sam swept his legs.

Natasha lifted her gun to The Archangel’s chest but she knocked it away easily. Left with no other choice, Natasha headbutted the woman on top of her. Only slightly phased, she fell backward. Natasha crawled backward to grab either of her weapons but The Archangel gripped onto her leg, pulling the redhead back. 

Like a blink of an eye, a glowing dagger appeared in The Archangel’s hand. She lurched forward to pierce it through Natasha’s skin. Natasha was able to prevent it but only for a second. The Archangel slammed her fist on the handle of the dagger, pushing the blade into Natasha’s shoulder. Natasha gasped in pain but flipped The Archangel over, taking a running start towards the parked and crashed cars that surrounded them. 

Upon seeing Natasha’s escape, The Winter Soldier dropped off of the bridge onto a car. The HYDRA agents held off Sam as best they could but to no avail. The Winter Soldier stalked the premises in hopes of finding the redhead until he heard her voice. He slowly rolled a bomb under the cars but the explosion revealed she was nowhere to be found. Natasha bounced off of the roof of a car and onto The Winter Soldier, attempting to strangle him. They wrestled until she was able to run like a bullet.

She only got so far until The Archangel cut her off. The woman stood, chain in hand. The sound of a bang behind her then indicated The Winter Soldier was present as well. They had her cornered.

The Winter Soldier lifted his gun, ready to aim until Steve came running into view. He was hurtling towards the Winter Soldier, who lifted his metal fist. It clanged with Steve’s shield, another loud bang rang in the area.

Natasha stared furiously at the woman in front of her. She expected her to do something with the chain, and she was ready until a black mass appeared in her palm. She lifted her hand and launched it so quickly it was like a bullet. The mass hit Natasha’s head, blinding her vision.

It lasted only for a few seconds, but sensing a presence behind her, Natasha swung. They fought hand-to-hand combat, like the boys not far from them. 

The four of them fought vigilantly. Metal banging, gunshots, and screams from civilians were the only things to be heard on the street.

Eventually, Natasha was able to outsmart the HYDRA agent in front of her. The woman made one final whip of her glowing chain and Natasha easily grabbed onto it and swung her into the metal pole of the stoplight. The wind was knocked out of her lungs. Natasha grabbed a nearby gun and shot the final bullet with no mercy.

At the very same time, Steve had managed to knock The Winter Soldier’s protective gear off of his face. The man stared at Steve, his expression hard and unforgiving. Steve stared back at the man, dumbfounded.

“Bucky?” He said his voice above a whisper.

“Who the hell is Bucky?” The Winter Soldier replied. 

Before anyone else could react, The Archangel cried out. The Winter Soldier snapped his head in her direction and ran like there was no tomorrow. He easily avoided Natasha, who was focused on Steve. Sam landed on top of the car and the three of them looked to where the HYDRA agents once were.

Both had disappeared without a trace.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer, mostly the bromance between Buck and Steve.... sorry hehe. Sorry if the action scenes r boring too.  
> I promise next chapter will delve into the actual story :D the past few have mainly been just a set up for the main character, get a feel for her abilities and such. Anyway, enjoy!!!

The Winter Soldier carried The Archangel through the facility to the only hospital in the building. There was an argument between them the entire way but the Soldier’s mind was placed elsewhere.

“I don’t need a doctor-”

“Heal yourself or not, that bullet needs to be removed,” Bucky grunted. He threw her onto the nearest chair and exited the room.

The woman hissed in pain as her fingers grazed against the open wound. The bullet was lodged right above her hip bone. It hurt like hell. Luckily the doctor arrived before she could consider yanking it out herself. 

She wasn’t placed under any anesthetics as he removed the bullet. He left as soon as he finished, allowing her to heal herself properly. She placed a hand over her wound and watched the skin glow. She pulled her hand away. Good as new.

Promptly afterward, a pair of HYDRA agents stormed into the room. One held a shot that oozed a yellow-ish liquid. Realization dawned over The Archangel but the needle was quickly injected.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been under but it had been long enough. Waking up in a pitch-black room, she could feel her entire body seize in panic. Restraints had her bound to a metal chair. None of her limbs were mobile. The coolness of the metal against her fingers provided zero comfort.

A muffled voice spoke over the intercom but she couldn’t make out any words. Everything was far too dark, not even her eyes could adjust. The sound of metal whirring made the next action apparent. 

She would never get used to this.

A bright white light flashed like a camera two feet in front of her head. Dizziness consumed her and she could feel her head wobble. No matter how much she blinked, she couldn’t tell if the blur went away. A second flash emerged from the darkness as she regained her composure but this time, the results were far more painful.

Ringing echoed ruptured her eardrums and she wailed in pain. She wanted this to end but shutting her eyes resulted in worse punishments. 

The next flash of light nearly had her hurling. By the final, she went completely numb. Her head hung low and the next time she blinked, it was nighttime in her barren bedroom. 

The Archangel couldn’t remember anything the next day. Every vital moment was a blur. At best, explosions remained in her mind. Maybe even a flash of red, white, and blue.

Steve stood on the bridge staring at nothing in particular. Memories of Bucky flooded his mind but a hole sat in his heart while reminiscing. Seeing his face after so many years rendered him speechless.

For a spare moment, his mind wandered to the female HYDRA agent. She was different compared to any other that he’s encountered. Though, he barely got a look at her, he knew at least one thing.

She was a mutant.

The way she could make things vanish out of thin air, how she could teleport. Even though Natasha had a stab at her, Steve had a feeling that wasn’t the last of her that he saw. 

“They’re going to be there, you know?” Sam approached. “Especially…”

“I know,” Steve said.

“Look, whoever he used to be and the guy he is now-” Sam said- “I don’t think he’s the kind you save. Not either of them, honestly. They’re the kind you stop.”

“I don’t know if I can do that… Not to Buck.”

“Well, he might not give you a choice. He doesn’t know you.”

“He will,” Steve said. “Gear up, it’s time.”

Sam watched Steve walk away, somewhat exasperated, “You gonna wear that?”

“No. If you’re gonna fight a war, you gotta do it in uniform.” 

The Archangel followed a few feet behind The Winter Soldier as he blew down the air control. A few men dove to the ground as the two of them walked through the remains and the fire. 

Men attempted to fight back but it was no use. They mowed them down with little to no effort. 

The Archangel knocked out a pilot in a jet and flew the two agents up to the helicarrier. 

With his wings soaring through the air, Sam clutched onto Steve as best he could. This was the final helicarrier, they were so close. They both dropped onto the landing pad with Sam left exhausted. 

“You know, you’re a lot heavier than you look.”

“I had a big breakfast,” Steve joked.

Before either could get a laugh in, The Winter Soldier slammed into Steve, knocking him off of the ship.

Sam flew forward to grab his friend but felt his body yanked backward. He looked down to see a white chain wrapped around his torso. The Archangel had appeared out of thin air and used her full body force to swing Sam away from the ledge. 

He managed to catch his balance and shoot at the agent but she dodged the bullets easily. She flexed her hand and a wall of daggers appeared behind her. They shot forward speedily but Sam was able to fly upward to avoid any potential harm.

The chain appeared in her hand once more and she slammed Sam into the ground, right at the ledge his friend fell from moments previously. The Archangel marched to the wounded soldier and a glowing white sword appeared as the chain vanished. She stood on Sam’s chest and as he struggled, she held the blade high in the air.

It sliced through his wing and The Archangel mercilessly kicked him off of the ledge as he screamed for his life. 

After confirming with Sam, Steve made his way to the final destination. One last key. 

But of course, something stood in his way.

There in front of him, stood his lifelong friend. His fellow agent was nowhere to be seen. Steve was reluctant but more than determined to tear S.H.I.E.L.D and HYDRA down for good. 

“People are going to die, Buck,” Steve said. The Winter Soldier only stared. “I can’t let that happen.”

One man stood emotional while the other was empty. Emotionless.

“Please don’t make me do this.”

Seeing that he wasn’t going to get his way, Steve slowly lifted his shield to fight. Instead, a cold piece of, what seemed like, metal wrapped around his neck and yanked him back. 

He landed on his backside and he looked up to see The Archangel stood above him. He regained his composure and sweeped her legs, knocking over her balance long enough for him to stand. He threw his shield forward but The Winter Soldier easily knocked it back. 

The three of them fought. Metal and grunts filled the room. Every swing counted, yet every one that hit Bucky seemed to hurt Steve more than any physical pain. 

Eventually, Steve was able to knock the Archangel over the railing. This allowed him to further the plan but The Winter Soldier stepped in once more. They both flew over the edge.

Steve lost the key. His eyes landed on it easily but Bucky held him back. 

Appearing through a black portal, The Archangel kneeled down to grab the key. Steve elbowed The Winter Soldier, knocking him off of his back. He lunged forward, tackling the woman. The two of them wrestled as he tried to grab the piece of technology but she wouldn’t budge.

She threw the piece forward and The Winter Soldier caught it with Steve following it with no thoughts. The two men wrestled until Steve dislocated Bucky’s arm. The man wailed in pain and dropped. The Archangel attempted to do her best to attack Steve but it wasn’t working. 

Steve was able to grab onto her arm and threw her against the wall, knocking her out almost instantly. The soldier jumped onto where the key pad was, but jumped slightly. Bucky was firing bullets.

He avoided them all except one. Pain spread through his body as quickly as the blood that spread onto his uniform. Pushing past his limit, Steve was able to insert the final key. 

Each helicarrier began to self-destruct. They were going down. 

Steve listened to Agent Hill’s warning but he could barely move. He looked over the railing to see Bucky attempting to lift a large beam off of the woman. With only a metal arm as assistance, it was no use. It was too heavy.

With reluctance, Steve stumbled over to the pair. Bucky growled but only focused on lifting the metal. Steve wrapped his arm around the remains and lifted to the best of his ability. He grabbed onto the unconscious woman and pushed her behind him, glaring at Bucky. 

“You know me…” Steve said, watching as Bucky regained his composure. 

With only confusion and anger left to fuel him, he threw his body forward, pushing his rage into a punch towards Steve.

“No I don’t!” He screamed. 

Steve deflected but didn’t fight back.

“Bucky, you’ve known me your whole life.” 

Bucky’s eyes darted towards The Archangel. He swung once more and knocked Steve over. 

“Your name is James Buchanan Barnes…”

“Shut up-” Another punch. 

“I’m not going to fight you…” He dropped his shield. “You’re my friend.”

Bucky roared a final time and tackled the man in front of him.

“You’re my mission.”

He kept hitting until he couldn’t. His eyes were wide. Steve barely uttered the words.

“Then finish it… ‘Cause I’m with you till the end of the line.”

As the cold wind hit his body, a new feeling spread through Bucky Barnes. He could only watch to see a man he once knew fall off of the ship. A woman that he knew of, not far above. The remorse made his bones shake.


End file.
